EDITORS’ INTRODUCTION Whether you are a parent, a pupil, a member of staff, or simply a reader showing an interest in the College, welcome to the 712th edition of the Alleynian . This issue’s dual theme, ‘Change and Continuity’, has been chosen with our current circumstances in mind. We live in a world of constant and rapid change. The articles written by our talented team of student writers reflect both on this and also on our human need for continuity, whether that be within society or in the environment around us. From the ongoing growth of AI to the changing role played by social
the ways in which language is ever-evolving, we hope that you will find, in the pages which follow, plenty of pieces to delight, inform and challenge you. We sometimes feel obligated to keep pace with our hyperconnected and ever-changing world when making decisions. However, it is important to take time to balance the old and the new. We reflect on this within our own walls with an article on the changes and continuity brought to the College by two of its most significant former Masters; with a piece on the new Lower School Library building; and with an interview focusing on changing attitudes to gender. While some of us in the College community prefer continuity to change, others are drawn to the challenge of the new. Yet, rather than adopting a completely reactionary or revision- ist stance, surely the optimal choice is to take the more nuanced path, achieving a synthesis between the school’s traditional approach (what former Master Gilkes perhaps meant when he referred to its ‘soul’) and a more contem- porary outlook. Following on from the opinion pieces, the interviews and the features of the opening section, you will find a range of thoughtful creative writing and extraordinary artwork by students. After this comes the magazine of record part of the publication, covering a huge range of activities undertaken this academic year, from the Singapore Olympiad to the sports, societies, concerts, plays and other undertakings which give life at the College its richness. Editing the Alleynian is a complex business. As well as continuing to honour the legacy of a magazine which has been through many changes since its first iteration in Feb- ruary 1873, this edition, number 712, seeks to look to the future, as well as celebrating the past. We hope that you enjoy the results of our efforts! Henry Gooderham and Alexandros Hall (Year 12) Alleynian student editors
media in the ways in which we receive our news, and from the simple delights of wildflowers and birdsong to
2
THE ALLEYNIAN 712
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker